1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a module structure for arranging switches of electrical equipment and the like in an integrated manner, and more particularly to a module structure suited for use in an instrument panel of an automobile.
2. Background
A center console portion, extending to a car compartment, is provided at a central portion of an instrument panel of an automobile. Various electrical equipment, including a radio, an audio device, an air conditioner switch, a navigation device and a power seat switch, are mounted on the center console portion. These types of electrical equipment are different depending on the grade of automobiles, and therefore the procurement of the proper parts, as well as the difference in the mounting method, has been the burden on the operator. An instrument panel wire harness, passing through the center console portion, is long, and has many branch portions, and therefore the installation ability and the connector-connecting ability are poor, and also this prevents the efficiency of production of the wire harnesses from being enhanced.
In order to overcome these disadvantages, there has been proposed a center console module for arranging the above various electrical equipment in an integrated manner, the center console module including a center console portion of a single structural member. As shown in FIG. 6, the center console module 1 includes a center console panel 5 having mounting openings for mounting various electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, an electrical equipment cover 7, and a module wire harness 9 for connecting the electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d to predetermined circuits.
The module wire harness 9 includes a body wire harness 9a and an A/V wire harness 9b. The body wire harness 9a and the A/V wire harness 9b have a plurality of connectors for connection to the electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, and wires from the plurality of connectors are connected in an integrated manner to movable-type multi-pole connectors 11a and 11b mounted respectively on ends of the body wire harness 9a and the A/V wire harness 9b.
Therefore, in the center console module 1 of this construction, the electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, selected in accordance with the grade, are connected using the corresponding module wire harness 9, and the center console panel 5 is mounted on an instrument panel 15, and the movable-type multi-pole connectors 11a and 11b are connected to a collecting connector 17 on the instrument panel. In this manner, the plurality of electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d can be mounted collectively.
In the above center console module 1, however, the electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d were merely mounted collectively on the center console panel 5, and therefore the number of the component parts, mounted on the center console panel 5, could not be reduced.
A plurality of kinds of module wire harnesses 9 have been used so that the selected electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d could be used, and therefore each time the grade was changed, the required module wire harness 9 must be prepared, and therefore the kinds of the parts have been increased, and the standardization has been difficult.
Furthermore, in the above center console module 1, the electrical equipments or switches 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are mounted collectively in the module, and therefore the overall size of the module is increased, and the assembling line must be changed, and the installation cost has been increased.